Transcript
GERRY BROWNLEE: There will be a number of foreign ministers representing leaders there. Mr English would have been there, but in the thick of a campaign it’s not something he can do. It’s not something that even I could have spent the full amount of time at the Forum. It's unfortunate, because certainly in my time as Foreign Minister I've made an effort to ensure New Zealand's standing in the Pacific is well regarded and our position with Pacific governments is that we very much respect the work that they do.
DON WISEMAN: There's a risk there though of offending Pacific governments by missing half the event.
GB: Well they're all politicians so they kind of know how this stuff works.
DW: There has been a suggestion made to us today that Pacific leaders are not taking the Forum as seriously as they once might have. What’s your response to that?
GB: I don't agree.
DW: So it remains the preeminent body in the Pacific? It's not being overtaken by other agencies [like the] Melanesian Spearhead Group, the Polynesian Leaders Group, there sorts of organisations?
GB: No.
DW: Climate change, of course, is going to be a big topic at the Forum, it always is. The island countries were pleased with their success in Paris in 2015 and they are putting a huge emphasis on the COP23 meeting. How significant is the COP23 meeting in Bonn for New Zealand, especially with Fiji co-hosting it.
GB: Well it’s as significant as any international meeting on climate change where decisions about the international community’s views and intentions with regards to carbon emissions are being discussed. I think Prime Minister Bainimarama has done a pretty good job of making sure this meeting will succeed and his level diplomacy well outside the Pacific has been pretty impressive. Because he is the chairman there will be a much greater intensity of view on the Pacific and that's a good thing.
DW: Yes. So the Pacific wants to go in there with one voice and they're looking again for commitments at a lower in terms of temperature rise that is currently on the books. So is that something New Zealand would join in on?
GB: Well that's something as a specific that you'll have to take up with the Climate Change Minister. But we haven't shirked from climate change responsibilities at all. In the foreign affairs field, particularly through the development of humanitarian work we've been focussing on putting a lot of capital into the solar energy projects throughout the Pacific and have managed to leverage the contribution that New Zealand makes to that programme with other countries including the EU - which is a collection of countries - so that there has been over $ 2 billion invested in recent years in solar energy in the Pacific. And that alone is seeing, dear I say, millions of gallons of diesel being burnt for electricity.
DW: Security is an issue that will be talked about and a lot of the Forum members are actually pretty close to North Korea. With your various hats on are you in a position to say just how big a threat that they face?
GB: Well I don't think they face any greater threat than any other country in the near vicinity from any fall out that might come from military action or some kind of miscalculation or accident. But it's obviously important for them and for New Zealand because we trade a lot with that part of the world. If you have those big economies, China, The US and Japan all engaged in some kind of military conflict then that would have detrimental effects on our trading relations and would have some similar detrimental effects on the relationships that those Pacific Island states with those states.
DW: What would you like to see come out of this forum?
GB: Look, I think there are a couple of things would be a continued desire to speak as a group. None of the islands want to give up or cede any sovereignty at all. But sometimes being part of a bigger club, much like APEC or G20, or G7 or whatever body it is creates a higher degree of consideration from other countries about the problems that for these states may be facing.
